Why does Crunchyroll work on some shows but not others?

Licensing is negotiated per show and per territory. The shows that work are licensed in the country your VPN server is in. The ones that are blocked aren't licensed there. Try switching to a server in a different country, starting with the US since it has the broadest library.

Will Crunchyroll ban my account for using a VPN?

Crunchyroll's terms of service prohibit circumventing geo-restrictions. In practice, Crunchyroll's enforcement tends to be at the content level rather than the account level: it blocks the stream rather than banning the account. That said, using a VPN is against the terms, so be aware of that risk.

Why does Crunchyroll work in a browser but not the app, or the other way round?

The app and browser can handle VPN detection differently. If one is blocked, it's often because that method is exposing your real IP while the other isn't. Switch between the two and see which one gets through.

Which VPN works best with Crunchyroll?

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are both reliable for Crunchyroll. The most useful feature is a large US server pool, so you have plenty of alternatives if individual servers get blocked.

Do I need a premium Crunchyroll account to use a VPN?

No, a VPN works with free accounts too. However, the free tier has stricter geo-restrictions than premium, so some content that's available to premium subscribers in a given country may still be blocked for free users, even with a working VPN. If you're hitting walls that a server switch doesn't fix, a premium account removes that extra layer.

Should I try a Japan server for shows blocked everywhere else?

Not really. Crunchyroll has historically restricted access for viewers physically in Japan rather than offering a bonus catalogue there, so a Japan server isn't a reliable fix. For shows that are blocked in the US and UK, try Australia instead, or check whether the title has already aired on Japanese TV and shown up on a separate domestic service like TVer.

Does a VPN slow down Crunchyroll streaming?

A little, since your traffic is routing through an extra server, but with a decent paid VPN and the WireGuard protocol the difference is usually small enough not to matter for streaming. If you're seeing real buffering, try a server closer to your location or switch protocols before assuming the VPN itself is too slow.

Is Crunchyroll blocked in my country entirely?

Crunchyroll operates in most countries, but a handful of regions, including mainland China, don't have access at all. If Crunchyroll won't load however you connect, check whether it's officially available where you live; a VPN connected to a supported country should get you in regardless.

Can I use a VPN to get a cheaper Crunchyroll subscription?

Crunchyroll's pricing can vary by region because of local purchasing power adjustments, so in theory a VPN could show you a different price. In practice, billing is usually tied to your payment method and account region rather than just the page you're browsing on, so this isn't a reliable way to save money and isn't something we'd recommend building a workflow around.

Why Crunchyroll Blocks VPNs (and How to Get Around It)

Getting a "not available in your region" error on Crunchyroll with your VPN already running is frustrating, and the fix is a bit different from most streaming services. Crunchyroll licences anime title by title, country by country, so connecting to just any server isn't always enough. Sometimes you need the right country for that specific show.

What the error usually looks like

When Crunchyroll blocks you, it's usually one of two messages: "Sorry, this video is not available in your current location" or a notice that the title isn't available for your region. Sometimes the show appears in search results but the video player refuses to play it.

Occasionally Crunchyroll detects the VPN connection itself and shows an error about an unsupported connection. Less common, but the fix is the same: switch to a different server.

Why Crunchyroll's regional restrictions are different

Crunchyroll is one of the world's biggest anime streaming platforms, but anime licensing is negotiated territory by territory. A studio in Japan agrees separate distribution deals for each country, so one show might be on Crunchyroll for UK audiences and a different service entirely for US viewers. Simulcasts, which are episodes released at the same time as Japan, are the most watched content on Crunchyroll, and even those aren't always available in every market.

So Crunchyroll's library varies quite a bit by country. Some simulcasts are available everywhere. Others are licensed only for specific regions. If you're trying to watch something that isn't licensed in the country your VPN server is in, the fix is switching to a server where it is licensed, not just switching to any other server. This kind of per-title, per-territory licensing isn't unique to anime, either: Mubi licenses arthouse and world cinema in a similarly fragmented way, so if you use both services the troubleshooting logic will feel familiar.

Dubs and subs aren't always licensed the same way

It's worth knowing that a show's subtitled version and its English dub can be licensed to different territories independently. You might find the Japanese-language version of a series available on a server where the dub is blocked, or the other way round.

If a title is playing but the audio track you want is missing or greyed out, try a different VPN server country before assuming the whole show is unavailable. The subtitled and dubbed rights sometimes sit with entirely different regions.

Crunchyroll geo-restriction error message — Crunchyroll's anime library is licensed territory by territory. The fix is connecting to the region that holds the licence for the show you want, not just any available server.

Finding the right server country

The US Crunchyroll library is the broadest and covers most simulcasts, so a US server is the right starting point. If a specific title is still blocked, it may be licensed for another territory.

A Japan server isn't a reliable fix here: Crunchyroll has historically restricted access for viewers physically in Japan rather than offering a bonus catalogue there, since Japan has its own domestic anime distribution and Crunchyroll's international service isn't meant to compete with it. If you're chasing a show before its Crunchyroll simulcast even lands, some anime airs on Japanese TV first and shows up on domestic catch-up services like TVer, which is a separate service from Crunchyroll entirely.

The UK and Australia sometimes hold exclusive simulcast rights for certain shows, so these are worth trying if the US doesn't work.

If you're not sure which region has the rights to a specific show, searching for the title alongside "Crunchyroll region" usually turns up an answer from fan communities who track this.

Step-by-step fix

Connect to a US server. In NordVPN, use the search bar or tap United States on the map. In ExpressVPN, tap Choose Location and select United States. Check your IP at our IP checker to confirm you have a US address before loading Crunchyroll.
Open Crunchyroll in a private or incognito window. Cookies from a previous session without the VPN active can reveal your real location even after your IP has changed. Starting in a private window avoids this.
Try to play the title. If it works, you're done. If you get a region error, the show isn't licensed for the US, so move to step 4.
Try a UK server, then Australia. Some simulcasts are licensed exclusively for these regions. A Japan server isn't worth trying here: Crunchyroll has historically restricted access for viewers physically in Japan rather than unlocking extra content there.
If Crunchyroll is blocking the VPN connection itself rather than the content, switch to a different server in the same country. Crunchyroll identifies and blocks known VPN IP addresses, and this list changes over time. A different server in the same country will often have an address that isn't flagged yet. Our guide to switching VPN servers covers the steps for every major app.

Free account vs premium account

Crunchyroll's free tier has stricter regional limitations than the premium tier. Some content is available to premium subscribers in more countries but restricted to specific regions for free users. If you're on a free account and hitting blocks even with a working VPN, upgrading to Crunchyroll Premium can lift that extra layer of restriction.

The app vs the browser

Crunchyroll in a browser can sometimes expose your real location through WebRTC, a browser feature that may reveal your device's IP address even when your connection is going through a VPN. The Crunchyroll app doesn't rely on WebRTC in the same way, which can make it harder for Crunchyroll to detect your real location.

If you're using Chrome or Firefox and hitting blocks, try the Crunchyroll app on your phone or tablet with your VPN running at the system level (the full VPN app, not a browser extension). The Crunchyroll app is available on iOS, Android, PS4, PS5, Xbox, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.

If the app itself is showing old location data even after you've connected the VPN, clearing its cache can help. On Android: Settings > Apps > Crunchyroll > Storage > Clear Cache. On iOS, delete and reinstall the app, since iOS doesn't offer a separate cache-clearing option.

Watching on a smart TV

The Crunchyroll app isn't available directly on most smart TVs from Samsung, LG, or Sony, but it does run natively on PS4, PS5, Xbox, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. If your setup includes one of those, install your VPN there, connect to the right country, then open Crunchyroll as normal.

If your TV doesn't support Crunchyroll natively, casting from a VPN-connected phone or laptop, or setting up the VPN on your router, both work. Either approach means the TV inherits the VPN's location without needing its own app.

Buffering and speed on Crunchyroll

Anime often streams at a high bitrate, especially newer simulcasts in 1080p, so a slow VPN connection shows up quickly as buffering or a dropped resolution. If you're on a UK or US server and getting through fine but playback keeps stuttering, that's a speed problem rather than a blocking one, and worth treating separately.

Switch to WireGuard if you haven't already (NordLynx in NordVPN, Lightway in ExpressVPN), since it's noticeably faster than older protocols like OpenVPN for video. Picking a server that's geographically closer to you, even within the right country, helps too: a US server on the east coast will usually be faster for someone in Europe than one on the west coast, purely because of the extra distance the data has to travel.

Do free VPNs work for Crunchyroll?

Not reliably. Free VPNs typically share a small pool of IP addresses between huge numbers of users, and Crunchyroll blocks these fast once they're spotted, the same way it does with most major streaming platforms. Even where a free server isn't blocked yet, the connection is often too slow to stream anime cleanly, which rather defeats the purpose. If Crunchyroll is a service you use regularly, a paid VPN with a large server network will save you a lot of frustration; see our Are Free VPNs Safe? guide for the wider reasons free VPNs tend to be a false economy.